Success Stories

By the time Ava heard about Live & Learn from a coworker, she had experienced her share of hardship, heartbreak, and struggle. Ava’s hard work and determination would see her through and allow her to create a brighter future for herself and her children. “What I went through as a kid growing up, I don’t want my daughters to go through that. I want to break the cycle.” Ava grew up in Phoenix, one of six siblings raised by a single mother. “Life was chaotic,” she recalls. Her mother Rose worked hard to make ends meet for the family. Rose

Margarita is from Russia, and she is a single mother of two children. A few years ago, Margarita faced a daunting decision: make her own way in a country where she did not speak the language or return home to Russia. Despite the difficulties ahead of her, there was no doubt in her mind that she would stay in Arizona with her two young children. She would find a way to thrive. In Russia, Margarita held a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She had a good job, wonderful friends, and a supportive family. She married an American in Moscow, and they

With a simple, “I believe in you, you can do it!” Live & Learn helped me more than you would think. I remember the first time I met with Katie from Live & Learn. She asked me what I wanted to do, and I told her I wanted to go back to school. With no hesitation, she said, “Let’s do it!” She had no doubts, she just believed in me. Sometimes, it takes one person to believe in you like that. At that moment in my life, I was in a complicated situation. I was on my own with my

By her mid-20s, Brisa had lost hope. She worked hard in everything she did, from school to job to family, but still she could not seem to reach her goals. As happens to many in our community, the very institutions meant to help her were, instead, further destabilizing her and her family to the point that Brisa gave up. Then, she found Live & Learn. With Live & Learn’s help and her hard work, Brisa is now thriving, and she is focusing her career on advocating within schools for change on behalf of children growing up in circumstances like those